A FEW years back, Farhan Sabli thought his degree in business computing and information technology would lead him to a career in tech or in some sort of an office environment.

Never once had he imagined that he would be anywhere near the fashion industry.

But fashion has now been a big part of Farhan’s everyday work since he came on board his father-in-law’s clothing label Lanbaharin in August 2011, after a short stint at a foreign bank.

Ruslan Baharin established Lanbaharin four years ago after manufacturing apparel for other brands and making uniforms for corporate clients for a few decades.

The company started off with linen apparel for men and women, mostly kurtas, baju Melayu and other traditional Muslim wear.

But in recent years, Lanbaharin’s focus has shifted to producing affordable handmade leather shoes.

Steep learning curve

The move to shoemaking came when Ruslan saw an opportunity to attract a younger clientele, especially those who want to be fashionable but have a limited budget.

“As our target is the younger market, our style is not conventional, especially in terms of colour and design. Our products are almost an artistic expression of the wearer,” says Farhan.

“But we do produce some brown and black shoes for those looking for traditional lace-ups.”

Shoemaking is a family affair at Lanbaharin. Ruslan leads the design team and borrows from his uncle Mat Som’s four decades of shoemaking experience.

With the older men busy with designing and producing leather shoes, Farhan is in the driver’s seat running the business.

Farhan’s learning curve has been steep given that he has not dabbled in business before.

The 29-year-old now manages three Lanbaharin stores — in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Dataran Pahlawan Melaka and Kenanga Wholesale Mall.

On the manufacturing side, he oversees the procurement of materials, operations and stock delivery.

Lanbaharin shoes are made at its factory in the industrial area of Subang 2 in Selangor.

The company works with materials such as genuine leather, suede leather and woven fabric — all sourced from a local supplier.

The factory can produce about 50 pairs of shoes a day, but each design is limited to about 20 to 30 pairs.

According to Farhan, Lanbaharin sells about 500 pairs of shoes each month. At an average price of RM150 a pair, it can earn about RM75,000 each month.

Lanbaharin recently added women’s shoes — ballerina flats — to its production, although the range is not as extensive as the men’s.

“Women’s shoes now make up about 20% of our production. The response has been good and we plan to increase that range,” says Farhan.

Additionally, the company is making shoes for children above three years old.

The advantage of youth

Being young himself, Farhan’s input does influence Lanbaharin’s designs since his peers are the intended customers.

“Social media helps us get a feel of what the customers want. It is really helpful when we are researching shoe designs. We get to know the best-selling designs and colours,” says Farhan.

Since joining Lanbaharin, Farhan has put the brand on social media to give it more visibility. It now has an active presence on Facebook and Instagram.

The company has yet to develop an e-commerce site, but Farhan does take orders via phone or Facebook. The only e-commerce presence Lanbaharin has is through Parkson’s online shopping site.

However, Farhan is not just banking on free publicity via social media. He says there is a need for the label to improve its visibility by taking part in shoe exhibitions, both locally and internationally. Last August, Lanbaharin took part in a shoe fair in Germany for the second time.

Farhan says the company’s medium-term goal is to expand its distribution of shoes.

“We have distributors in Johor Baru, Ipoh, Kota Baru, Triang and Kuala Terengganu. Our target is to have an outlet in every city in Malaysia. We are also exporting our products to Japan and Singapore,” he adds.

“Indeed, we want to be very visible and known locally, as well as overseas.”

This article first appeared in #edGY, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on December 29, 2014 - January 04, 2015.

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